Construction of a safe, walkable R14 billion Cape Town development is due to begin in the first quarter of next year. The Harbour Arch, found in Cape Town’s Foreshore, is due to be built by Amdec Group, the same company that built parts of Melrose Arch, in Johannesburg.
The Harbour Arch occupies a strategic position at the convergence of major access roads, with easy entry points to and from the N1 and N2 highways. The parcel of Foreshore land was previously owned by Transnet, but has since been bought by Amdec.
It is a hotly contested space. Social housing group Ndifuna Ukwazi objected to its construction, because they say it failed to include affordable housing in the development, which they believed would further exclude poor and working class people from the city centre.
In November it was given the go-ahead by the Municipal Planning Tribunal.
Described as a mix-use precinct the 5.8 hectare Harbour Arch is set to feature 6 individual tower blocks and 200,000m2 of usable space for residential, retail and office space.
The R14 billion smart city is based on new urban principles and a demand for properties that offer a “live, work, and play” lifestyle including a safer space to walk around at night.
This is part and parcel of the Cape Town Central City Improvement District’s plan to turn Cape Town into an “around the clock economy” and as such needed to “address the critical issue of safety” which comes with being a 24-hour CBD.
“A precinct such as Harbour Arch is all about being able to live, work, and play with people around at any time of day or night, making it secure by design,” said Nicholas Stopforth, Managing Director at Amdec Property Development.
Stopforth says the demise of 2 of South Africa’s largest construction companies, Basil Read and Group 5, and almost a decade of industry-wide contraction, has plunged the local property development sector into crisis.
“The construction and property development sectors are not out of the woods yet, as each directly impacts the other. While we’re seeing favourable take-up of residential and commercial space at both Melrose Arch and Harbour Arch, it’s vital that we remain agile in times of such market volatility and economic turmoil,” said Stopforth.
Here’s what it could look like:
Harbour Arch’s initial development phase – No 1 Harbour Arch – will comprise 432 apartments, retail, leisure, and commercial office space. Construction is due to commence in the first quarter of 2020.
📷Image supplied by Amdec Group.
The building will also feature a roof garden and viewing deck on the 24th floor.
📷Image supplied by Amdec Group.
It is planned to have a residents-only pool, exercise area and terrace all located on the 17th floor. Other innovative features include its own waste recycling, water-saving facilities and rainwater harvesting, a centralised district cooling plant, and low-energy LED lighting.
📷Image supplied by Amdec Group.📷Image supplied by Amdec Group.
“Our initiatives are mainly focused on energy and water. Energy efficiency, LED lighting, facade design, double glazing and measures to ensure energy retention and normalisation,” said Antonie Jordaan, Amdec Property Development’s investment manager.
They also want to build a parking lot that could fit 3,500 vehicles to meet the requirements of the precinct.